YouTube Awards

Infobox award
name = YouTube Awards
current_awards =


imagesize =
caption = The logo for the 2006 awards
description = Best YouTube Videos
presenter = YouTube.com
country = United States
location =
year = 2007
year2 = 2008
website = http://www.youtube.com/ytawards07

The YouTube Awards are awards given out as formalized recognition of the best YouTube videos of the preceding year, as voted by the YouTube community. The awards were organized in 2007 to "call out some of the most popular videos and let the users choose which ones deserve some additional recognition". The awards are the first time that videos would receive any formal recognition; previously, high-ranking videos were only recognized by dynamic lists of most-viewed videos. The winners received a trophy, which was a stand with a large glass "play" button.Cite web |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080320/ap_en_ot/youtube_awards |title=Will the Obama Girl win a YouTube award? |date=2008-03-20 |accessdate=2008-03-20 |last=Carlson |first=Erin |publisher=Associated Press] In addition, they received an invitation to an event to occur "later this year".Cite web |url=http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9900838-36.html?%5E$ |title=YouTube Awards are a major yawn |last=McCarthy |first=Caroline |accessdate=2008-03-22 |date=2008-03-21 |publisher=CNET News.com]

Organization

The videos to vote upon are chosen by YouTube staff, while the winners are selected by YouTubers.cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2007-03-18-youtube-awards_N.htm |title=YouTube announces awards to recognize best user-created videos of the year |accessdate=2008-03-17 |last=Coyle |first=Jake |publisher=Associated Press] The Awards were first given in 2007—called the 2006 Awards—for the best videos of 2006. The awards comprised of seven categories: Adorable, Comedy, Commentary, Creative, Inspirational, Musician of the Year and Series. Each category then comprised 10 videos which YouTubers ranked in order of preference.cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17799202/ |title=YouTube announces award winners |accessdate=2008-03-17 |last=Coyle |first=Jake |date=2007-03-26 |publisher=Associated Press] For the 2007 Awards, five new categories were added: Eyewitness, Instructional, Short Film, Sports and Political; a general "Music" category replaced the "Musician of the Year" category of the previous year. In addition, each category held only six videos for which YouTubers could vote. [cite web |url= http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2212109/youtube-seeks-votes-best-web|title= YouTube seeks votes for best videos|accessdate=2008-03-17 |last= Thompson|first= Iain|coauthors= |date= March 14, 2008|work= |publisher=]

2006 Awards

Voting for the 2006 Awards commenced on March 18 2007 and lasted a week, ending March 23. The 2006 YouTube Awards came just a week after Viacom sued YouTube's parent company, Google, for more than $1 billion for copyright infringement of television shows owned by Viacom.cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1621752120070319?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true |title=YouTube to present video awards |accessdate=2008-03-17 |last=Auchard |first=Richard |date=2007-03-19 |publisher=Reuters.com]

The Awards received criticism from "New York Times" writer Virginia Heffernan when first organized. She suggested that the Awards created too much of a formalized process on YouTube. YouTube, she argued, should not be about awards and individual recognition of merit. Rather, it should be a free place where one can post videos and express oneself free of judgment on quality.cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/arts/27tube.html |title=YouTube Awards the Top of Its Heap |accessdate=2008-03-17 |last=Heffernan|first= Virginia|date= March 27, 2007|work= |publisher=New York Times.com] Caroline McCarthy of CNET News commented on the 2007 awards in agreement with Heffernan: she argued that YouTube is "is a cultural hub rather than strictly a creative outpost." She also commented many of the most popular videos are not high quality, or original content.

Nominations for the 2006 Awards included noted YouTubers Peter Oakley (geriatric1927), LonelyGirl15, thewinekone, Renetto and Chad Vader.

2007 Awards

The 2007 Awards began on March 13 2008 and lasted for five days, until March 18. YouTubers could vote once per day, but could not change their vote once they voted. [cite web |url=http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=YXJYpx0EKEs |title=The YouTube Awards Are Back! |accessdate=2008-03-17 |author=YouTube Team |date=2008-03-13]

A notable entry in the 2008 Awards was a video of the University of Florida Taser incident, uploaded by "The Gainesville Sun"; it was entered in the new Eyewitness category. [cite web |url=http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080314/NEWS/803140304/1006/NEWS |title= Taser video up for YouTube award |last=Stripling |first=Jack |date=2008-03-14 |accessdate=2008-03-17] One nomination in the Politics category was an interview with a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination for the 2008 American presidential election, Ron Paul. [cite web |url=http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates/2008/03/13/ron-paul-video-nominated-for-youtube-award/ |title=Ron Paul video nominated for YouTube award |accessdate=2008-03-17 |date=2008-03-13] Also included in the Politics section was the I Got a Crush... on Obama video. Nominated in the Inspirational category was a stop motion video by Trevor Dougherty, entitled [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVe_IuhffDs "Stand Up for World Peace."] [cite web |url=http://youtube.com/ytawards07 |title=YouTube Awards 2007 |date=2008-04-19] [cite web |url=http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/LIFESTYLE/803190311/-1/RSS01 |title= Local student's YouTube video nominated ‘Best of the Year' |last=Hibma |first=Maggie |date=2008-03-19 |accessdate=2008-04-19] The Leave Britney Alone! video by vlogger Chris Crocker was nominated in the Commentary category. Internet meme video Chocolate Rain by singer Tay Zonday was nominated in the Music section; it won.cite web |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hIq4pb28n2zy25hBJuSZNHkDWwfwD8VHJ9500 |title=Chocolate Rain' Claims a YouTube Award |last=Carlson |first=Erin |date=2008-03-20 |accessdate=2008-03-20 |publisher=Associated Press]

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/ytawards07 The Awards Page]